Nelumbo nucifera
Sacred lotus
Generally recognised as safeOther names: Lotus
Lotus—symbol and food in Asia; ponds and tropical pools.
Perennial from rhizome with large floating leaves.
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Plant type
- Perennial aquatic herb
What the safety levels mean (expand legend)
- Generally recognised as safe. Often a common herb with reasonable harvest and use; still read the specific warnings on the card.
- Information. Primarily informational — details in the text and warnings below matter most.
- Caution. Needs extra care (dose, duration, sensitive groups, interactions).
- Risky. Significant risks — verify sources, contraindications and professional guidance.
- Not for home experimentation. Not suitable to experiment with at home without knowledge and certainty.
- High risk for internal use. Particular risk with internal use (e.g. alkaloids); avoid prolonged or irresponsible dosing.
- Not specified. Level not filled in yet — rely on individual warnings and links below.
Photograph on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Plant habit
Quick overview
A practical summary; details are in the sections below.
- Safety grade
- Generally recognised as safe details
- Scientific sources on the card
- Yes — sources are listed with claims Science section
- When and what to harvest
- Fruit — July–September
- Rhizome — November–February
- Processing methods
Herbal infusion (tea), Culinary use and more
All methods and recipes on the card- Topics and symptoms
Diarrhea and indigestion, Topic
Topics section, Symptoms overview
Identification and mix-ups
Large showy flowers; seeds in receptacle.
Possible mix-ups and risks
Water lilies by leaf and flower habit.
Similar herbs
No related herbs are linked yet.
Topics and symptoms
More topics are in the symptoms and topics overview.
- Diarrhea and indigestionTraditional· Traditional / cultural framing
- TopicTraditional· Traditional / cultural framing
Geographic occurrence
Myanmar
Common (expected wild occurrence in the region)
Brazil
Common (expected wild occurrence in the region)
India
Common (expected wild occurrence in the region)
Viet Nam
Common (expected wild occurrence in the region)
Harvest
- FruitJuly–September
léto
Region: Viet NamNotes: Seeds are harvested from the disc-shaped receptacles when they turn brownish green and the seeds are hard; fresh ones are peeled and eaten raw, mature ones dried. The green embryo (lotus heart) is removed — it is very bitter and dried separately for tea.
- RhizomeNovember–February
zima
Region: Viet NamNotes: Rhizomes are dug from the mud after the leaves die back in the dry season; wash at once, unbroken segments keep longer.
- LeafJune–September
léto
Region: Viet NamNotes: Young leaves for tea and for wrapping food are cut in summer, ideally still furled or just after unfurling.
Storage
- Drying(Fruit)
Dried peeled seeds keep 12 months in a closed container; soak overnight before cooking.
- Light:
- Out of light.
- Moisture:
- They absorb moisture and mould easily.
- Refrigeration(Rhizome)
An unbroken rhizome keeps 1–2 weeks in the fridge in paper; once cut, splash with vinegar or lemon or it browns.
- Moisture:
- Do not keep in water, it softens.
- Safety:
- Wash thoroughly and peel before eating — it grows in mud.
Processing methods on this herb card
Infusion or brief extraction in hot water; usually without long boiling.
Full method description (from the catalogue)
In the narrow sense, "tea" often means an infusion: you pour water just off the boil over the dried plant matter and let it steep for a few minutes. Temperature, steep time, and the herb-to-water ratio change both flavour and what dissolves into the liquid.
Compared with a decoction, heat exposure is shorter and gentler; tender leaves and flowers are often better as an infusion than with prolonged simmering. For each herb, always follow the plant card for suitable plant part, preparation, and safety notes — general rules never replace species-level judgement.
Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no
Cooking, baking, seasoning as food — general category without therapeutic claims.
Full method description (from the catalogue)
Culinary use covers herbs as ingredients in dishes, drinks, or spice mixes. This overview does not evaluate medicinal effects — only reminds you about species intent, allergies, and heat treatment where needed (e.g. some fruits or plant parts).
Combining with alcohol, sugar, or long cooking changes outcomes; verify culinary sources.
Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no
Cooking, baking, seasoning as food — general category without therapeutic claims.
Full method description (from the catalogue)
Culinary use covers herbs as ingredients in dishes, drinks, or spice mixes. This overview does not evaluate medicinal effects — only reminds you about species intent, allergies, and heat treatment where needed (e.g. some fruits or plant parts).
Combining with alcohol, sugar, or long cooking changes outcomes; verify culinary sources.
Traditional context for this method: yes·Scientific context for this method: no
Traditional / spiritual use
Kept separate from science — entries are cultural or symbolic, not medical advice.
The flower the mud does not touch
Symbolism
Spiritual useMythologyRitualSymbolismThe lotus is a central symbol of Hinduism and Buddhism: it rises from mud yet blooms clean above the water. The Bhagavad Gita (5.10) likens the unattached person to a lotus leaf on which water does not cling; buddhas and bodhisattvas sit on a lotus throne, the mantra om mani padme hum carries 'the jewel in the lotus', and the lotus posture bears its name. In Vietnam it is the national flower. Religious symbolism, not an effect of the plant.
- Form:
- symbolické — trůn božstev, meditační obraz
- Claim strength:
- Tradition
- Source note:
- Bhagavad Gita 5.10; Buddhist iconography (padmasana); the Lotus Sutra.
Scientific notes
Each claim lists a study type and a source (URL or DOI) where available. Dose notes from the literature are informational only.
How to read evidence strength and study type labels
Labels summarise how the catalogue entry is tagged — they are not a medical verdict on efficacy. For every row, read the summary, limitations and source link.
Evidence strength
- Evidence level not specified
- The author did not grade the record; judge from the summary, limitations and source link.
- Narrative / orientational literature
- Descriptive or expert literature without controlled group comparison — context rather than proof of effect.
- Weak evidence
- Study or conclusion with major methodological limits; treat only as a pointer for further reading.
- Preliminary findings
- First or smaller studies — interesting direction, not the final word on efficacy or safety.
- Moderate strength of evidence
- Moderate strength by study design; sample and context limits still apply.
- Stronger evidence
- Stronger design or consistency of results within the study's stated limits.
- Review article
- A review summarises multiple sources; quality depends on review method and field.
Study type
- Narrative / expert text
- Expert text or overview without a classical study design.
- In vitro study
- Cell culture or test-tube experiment — does not show an effect in the body.
- Animal study
- Animal model — transfer to humans is not automatic.
- Observational study
- Observing groups without random treatment assignment; confounding is possible.
- Clinical trial
- Human clinical trial; sample size and control group matter.
- Randomised controlled trial
- Randomised controlled trials are among the stronger designs when well conducted.
- Review study
- A review aggregates multiple papers — quality depends on selection rules.
- Systematic review
- Systematic review with explicit search and selection methodology.
- Meta-analysis
- Statistical pooling of studies; outcome depends on input data and heterogeneity.
- Regulatory assessment / monograph (EMA, WHO…)
- Regulatory body summary for a herbal product — different context from a single RCT; often about products, not home tea.
- Expert monograph (herbal preparations)
- Structured literature summary for a plant or drug — quality depends on author and edition year.
The review summarises the composition of the lotus's parts (alkaloids nuciferine and neferine, flavonoids, starch in the rhizome) and laboratory studies of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and sedative actions of extracts; traditional uses include diarrhoea, insomnia and 'lightening'.
Narrative / orientational literatureReview studyYear: 2015Limitations: Mostly in vitro and animal data; human clinical studies are almost absent. It does not support a therapeutic effect of tea or food.
Paudel KR, Panth N — Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Phytochemical Profile and Biological Activity of Nelumbo nucifera
DOI: 10.1155/2015/789124
Images
The main photo is in the card header. More images will appear here when available.
Safety
What the warning types mean
The type on each warning helps group themes — it does not replace the separate severity badge.
- Internal use
- Risks from swallowing, extracts, duration of use or concentration for internal use.
- Interactions / medicines
- Possible effect on medicines or concurrent treatment — check sources and a professional.
- Raw plant parts
- Raw, unripe or poorly prepared plant parts can be dangerous.
- Toxins and regulation
- Toxic constituents or regulated compounds (e.g. in distillates).
- Contact with the plant
- Skin or mucosa irritation from contact with fresh plant or sap.
- Allergy
- Allergic reactions, often linked to family sensitisation.
- Harvesting and contamination
- Contamination, species mix-ups or harvesting from unsuitable places.
No structured safety records yet.